Clasp



Oct. 20, 1959 o. v. ANDERSON 2,908,953

CLASP Filed Feb. e, 195s INVENTOR.

oLoF v. ANDERSON 5 BY ATTOR N EY United States Patent CLASP A., v 0lof V. Anderson, Warwick, R.I. Application February 6, 195s, sriaiNo. 713,628

4 claims. (ci. r24A-49)` prongs being resilient, notched with teeth on one side of the notches and abutments on the other side of the notches and on the outer end of the prongs.

The long thin bar is housed in the thin narrow casing with the oppositely disposed vertical lugs engaging the top and bottom inner surfaces of the casing. The two outside prongs resiliently engage the opposite side walls of the casing with the teeth snapping into engagement with the companion retaining oriiices. The abutments are finger pieces for compressing the prongs to disengage the teeth from engagement with the companion retaining oriiices and for separating the bar from the casing.

In the past jewelry clasps were small, fragil and they required two hands to engage and disengage the clasp members. It is accordingly an object ofthe present invention to provide an esthetically novel clasp of a new durable construction which can be operated with the lingers of one hand.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent in part and in part be pointed out in the following specification and claims.

Referring to the drawings in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures:

Figure `1 is a plan view of the new and improved clasp as applied to an identification bracelet; with the clasp members separated.

Figure 2 is a plan View of the new and improved clasp as applied to a key chain; with the clasp members separated.

Figure 3 is a perspective View of the new and improved clasp as applied to a tie clasp; with the clasp members in partial assembled relationship.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of Figure 3; with the clasp members assembled.

Figure 5 is a transverse cross sectional View taken along line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a cross sectional View taken along line 6--6 of Figure 4.

Figure 7 is a cross sectional view taken along line 7-7 of Figure 5.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of a modied form of clasp; with the clasp members separated.

With reference to the drawings, reference character 11 generally designates a long thin casing consisting of a top member 12, a bottom member 13, a right side member `14 and a left side member 15. Right side member 14 is pro- 2,908,953 Patented Oct. 20, 1959 ICC ' 2 vided withra tooth retaining. orifice 16 and a slot 17 in the outer end. Left side member 15 is provided with a tooth retaining Orifice 18 and a slot 19 in the outer end. An end wall 20 is provided to create a casing open on one end; the end opposite to wall 20.

Reference character ;21 generally designates a long thin bar which is housed within casing 11. Bar 21 is provided with two slits 23, 24 which create twoV spring prongs 25, 26 anda central member or tongue 27. Tongue 27 is provided with two vertical lugs 39, 40. See Figures 6 and 7. Prong 25 is tapered throughout its length and is provided on its free outer end with an abutment 30 which is recessed to provide a notch 31 and a tooth 32. Similarly, prong 26 is tapered throughout its length and is provided Aon its free outer end with `an. abutment 33 which is recessed to provide a notch 34 and a tooth 35.

4Tongue 27 is adapted to have a bar 36 xed thereto as by soldering, welding, etc. Bar 36 may be the end member of a chain 37 as in Figures l and 2 or bar 36 may be the end member of a clasp element, generally indicated at 38 in Figures 3, 4, 5 and 7.

It is deemed expedient but not limiting or controlling that bar 21 may be iive and one half times as long dimension B as it is wide at its base, dimension A. It may be one eighth as thick, dimension C, as it is wide at dimension A. Casing 11 and bar 21 may be curved to fit a wrist when used as a clasp for an identiication bracelet or watch band. See Figure 8.

In operation, bar 21 is slid into casing 11 until spring prongs 25, 26 sliding against side members 14, 15 allow teeth 32, 35 to snap into teeth retaining orifices 16, 18 respectively. Abutments 30, 33 will be located in slots 17, 19 respectively and project beyond side members 14, 15 respectively, to provide iinger pieces which will permit the squeezing of abutments 30, 33 to disengage teeth 32, 35 from orifices 16, 18 to allow bar 21 to be separated from casing 11. When bar 21 is slid into casing 21 lugs 39, 40 engage top member 12 and bottom member 13 re spectively, to provide frictional engagement of bar 21 with casing 11.1. This friction is necessary when a person is using one hand to slide bar 21 into casing 11, in order to prevent bar 21 from falling out of casing 11 before teeth 32, 35 engage companion tooth retaining orifices 16,18.

The outside surface of top member 12 may be ornamented as shown in Figure 3 or it may be engraved with a persons name, initials or medical data. Insulin dosage for a diabetic for example; or that a person is a cardiac patient.

Having shown and described preferred embodiments of vthe present invention, lby way of example, it should be realized that structural changes could be made and other examples given without departing from either the spirit or scope of this invention.

What I claim is:

1. In a clasp for jewelny, -a casing having an open end,

and side walls with aligned openings, a three prong barA slidable into and out of said casing, resilient movable means on the two outside prongs of said bar engageable and disengageable with said aligned openings to lock and unlock said bar in said casing and oppositely disposed lugs on said middle prong creating frictional means engageable with said casing to frictionally engage said bar with said casing in sliding said bar into and out of said casing.

2. A clasp comprising a casing open on one end and provided with oppositely disposed tooth retaining oriiices located in the sides thereof, oppositely disposed slots in the sides thereof and adjacent the open end, a bar having Itwo slits to provide a central tongue and two spring prongs, the tongue having two oppositely disposed vertical lugs slidably engageable with the inside top and bottom Wall of said casing said spring prongs being tapered throughout their length and provided on the free ends thereof with an abutment, each abutment being recessed to provide a notch and a tooth, said tooth of each abutmentA resiliently engageable and disengageable with one of said oppositely disposed tooth retaining orifices with the end of each abutment located in one' of said oppositely disposed slots,'the abutments serving the function of nger grips to squeeze said spring prongs to slide said bar into and out of said casing.

3. A clasp for jewelry comprising a long thin casing consisting of a top member, bottom member, right side member, left side member and an end wall, a tooth retaining orice and a slot located in the right side and left side members, respectively, adjacent the end opposite the wall, a long thin bar slidably housed in said casing and having two slits to provide a central member and two spring prong members tapered throughout their length and provided with abutments on `their outer ends, recesses in each abutment to provide a notch, tooth and finger piece, a lug located on the top and another lug located on the bottom of said central member said lugs slidably engaging said top and bottom member, respectively to create sliding friction when said long thin bar is slid into and out of said long thin casing, the teeth on said prongs resiliently engaging the teeth -retaining oriiices in said left and right hand side members with said iinger pieces `located in said slots to retain said long thin bar in said long thin casing.

4. A clasp for jewelry comprising a casing open on 4 one end which is ve and one half times as long as it is wide and which is one eighth as thick Ias it is wide, oppositely located tooth retaining orices in said casing, a bar which is five times as -long as it is wide, slidably housed in said casing, having two slits to provide a central member Iand oppositely located spring prong members, an abutment on the outer end of each of said spring prong members, recesses in each abutment to provide a notch, a tooth and a linger piece, a lug located on opposite sides of said central member to frictionally engage said casing, the tooth on each spring prong member snapping into -position in said tooth retaining orices to retain said bar in said casing, said finger pieces permitting said spring prong members to be resiliently depressed to disengage the tooth from the respective tooth retaining orifice to slidably remove said ybar from said casing.

i References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS France Nov. 18, 1929 I MA- te.-- 

